VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
“How can I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” (Psalm 116:12)
My heart is always grateful to God for all the wonderful things he has done in my life. It is hard to believe that I have reached the 25th year of my journey as a religious. Whenever I close my eyes I can feel the joy deep within and I know that without God in my life everything would have been impossible. I am so grateful for the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, fortitude and fear of the Lord that God has blessed me with.
These gifts helped me along my journey to live a life of simplicity. And as a Dominican, as a lover of Truth, these gifts of the Spirit have helped set my life free. For example, I remember when I was growing up that my father would often remind me to always tell the truth. I learned to value the virtue of honesty. The motto of the Dominicans contains the word “veritas,” which means truth in Latin. I can now affirm why I became a Dominican.
I still remember the celebration when I entered the novitiate. During the sign of peace I went to my parents full of tears unsure of whether I could survive not seeing them for a year. My father, Ramon, cried with me while my mother, Ermila, whispered in my ears, “Be strong, be strong.” These words still echo in my ears when disappointment and trials come.
On other occasions, when the going may get tough and I don’t have time to go to a serene place, I listen to music by Don Moen and by Hillsong Music. They are so uplifting. One day after school, as I was listening to their music on my cellphone, one of the second graders started to sing along with me. I was amazed. He said, “I know this song. My mother always plays it inside the car.”
In 2009, I was asked to start our care home in Waianae. Not knowing what that entailed in full, with God’s help and with the help of friends the project came to completion. The license to accept residents was obtained in 2013.
To care for the elderly is a blessing, enrichment and a consolation for me. It is a reflection on how I might behave someday when I would be like them. Aside from some complaints, most of them are patient with their pains and bear their burdens quietly. They have taught me a lot of lessons on life deepening my own faith in God’s presence.
What matters most along one’s spiritual journey, is to maintain peace and serenity despite challenges. Challenges are temporary and with a living faith in God coupled with prayers, one will know that indeed God’s favors are never exhausted and they are renewed every single day! As it says in Psalm 118:12: “My strength and my courage is the Lord and he has been my savior. I am confident and unafraid.”
Sister Ermelinda Tagnipez is a Dominican Sister of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines. She is 25 years professed has been ministering in Hawaii 18 years. She resides at St. John the Baptist Convent in Kalihi.
